John Woo wins achievement award at Pingyao Festival

Writer: Heidi Hsia

John Woo accepting his award at the 1st Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
International Film Festival.

31 Oct – Hong Kong action auteur John Woo has recently been honoured with the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon East award for his contribution in engaging cultural exchange between East and West.

As reported on Xinhua, the filmmaker, who accepted the award at the Pingyao Film Festival, is known for injecting a Chinese-style romance and chivalry in his Hollywood movies like "Face Off", "The Replacement Killers" and "Paycheck", while introducing the techniques of the West into Chinese films like "A Better Tomorrow" and "The Crossing".

In his speech, Woo stated, "In today's world, where a movie box office decides everything, when I feel a little bit lonely and helpless, this award really is a kind of incentive for me to continue to shoot more films."

Founded by filmmaker Jia Zhangke, the 1st Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival runs from 28 October to 4 November.

In related news, John Woo's new movie "Manhunt" is set to be released on 23 November in Singapore and Malaysia. The director, along with Korean actress Ha Ji-won, will also be visiting Malaysia next month to promote the upcoming movie.